Virginia

10 and up, 6 and up, Age range, Teenagers, United States, Virginia 3 Minutes
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Virginia is the birthplace of our nation.  From the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown to the home of many of our Founding Fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Virginia really is for history lovers.

As a Virginia resident for 20 years, I can attest to the many historical sites, houses, and attractions that make up the state.  Most of the sites are easy weekend or day trips from the tourist hub of Washington, DC so if you’re planning a family trip to the Nation’s capital, don’t forget to check out the Virginia destinations.  This is by no means an exhaustive list but gives you the top historical sites in each area to see.

Check back often for more of these sites to be reviewed by The History Mom!  Note that only sites reviewed by The History Mom are marked with *.  Other links are external links to the museum’s own web site.

For help planning your Virginia vacation, check out https://www.virginia.org.  Also see additional sites on the National Park Service’s website.

Check out my posts about planning a week-long Virginia Road Trip and Virginia Presidential Sites Road Trip to get inspiration for your visit! And for sites specific to African-American history in the Commonwealth, check out my post about Virginia Black History. To plan a Civil War-themed tour around Richmond, check out my Richmond Civil War Tour itinerary.

Northern Virginia

These are all easy day trips from Washington, DC.

Central Virginia

Central Virginia is a great weekend trip from Washington, DC.

Tidewater

Western Virginia

Check out the amazing Southwest Virginia Cultural Center in Abingdon.

Civil War Battlefields and Museums

Presidential Sites:

Other Resources

Books to Read:
Check out my Virginia books list on Bookshop.org which supports independent bookstores and content creators.

This page is continually updated.

Published by Jayda Justus, The History Mom

Jayda B. Justus is the creator/writer of the blog, The History Mom, where she provides detailed reviews of US and European historical sites for families with corresponding book recommendations. She loves interacting with the bookish world on Instagram as @thehistorymom, especially #bookstagram, and has appeared as a guest on several podcasts, blogs, and media outlets. Her favorite genres to read are historical fiction and nonfiction, but she also loves contemporary and historical romance and women’s fiction. Hailing from the historic town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, she is a former legislative director for a Member of Congress and now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family where she spends her days working on her first novel. Visit her at The History Mom (https://thehistorymom.com).

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4 thoughts on “Virginia”

  1. Thank you for a wonderful site about historic places in Virginia! Visits to historical sites and museums have decreased over the past few years. I am on the board of directors for The Exchange Hotel Civil War Medical Museum in Gordonsville and we are doing everything we can to make sure history stays alive and accurate and told. Thank you for helping to keep history alive!

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much! I appreicate the kind words and support. I love the museum and Gordonsville in general. I hope to review soon to encourage others to visit! Thanks again!

      Reply
  2. Pingback: Women’s History Resources – The History Mom
  3. Pingback: Virginia Road Trip – The History Mom

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